Simfest Dispatch and BACARS V7.0.8

[macroflight]

Two small observations about this amazing addon:

1: Hoppie has upgraded and improved his ACARS pages, and you can now see the number of connects per minute from each client on https://www.hoppie.nl/acars/system/online.html. And BACARS seems to connect a bit more often than the recommended rate.

On a long flight, my average was around 3.5 connects per minute. I stopped BACARS, and then my callsign was removed from the list after a few minutes. Started BACARS, and it came back, showing an uptime of a few minutes and slightly more than 3 connects/minute. I have no other ACARS client running. So it seems BACARS is the culprit.


2: Since I'm not a BAV member, it seems silly to send ACARS position reports to BAV every few minutes. But setting SaveToBAV to false in the BACARS config files does not stop those reports. Is there any other setting that can do it?

[Gary Oliver]

Thanks Macro, I'll take a look. 

It's probably high due to checking for messages to the callsign in the FMC flight number field and the internal BACARS field.

Don't want to end up on Hoppies hit list

Cheers
G

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

:-)

In the mean time I've written a much more detailed guide on what would be the best way to approach the polling challenge:
https://www.hoppie.nl/acars/system/tech.html
I don't know how much you implemented. In the end, even every 20 seconds is not so much of a problem, given my new server iron, but if I don't yell, everybody would poll at 5 seconds because they can.
Note that sending messages also counts as a "connect" so if you fire off a bunch of METARs, your score will increase and then slowly reduce to a more average value.

The greatest impact is made by some software out there that occasionally loops and then sends 300 equal METAR requests (with increasing message identifier) in two seconds. THAT causes pain.


Hoppie

[voipmeister]

Gary, I can confirm macroflight's observation about BACARS' polling interval. My session is showing:

Code Select Expand

Online For Connects   /min
51 minutes 155 3.00


[cavaricooper]

Gary-

For a while now I am stuck on the 'cookie" acceptance screen- it does not progress past. I am using a Mac when this occurs. When you have a minute would you please check?  Ta!



C

[Gary Oliver]

The trick is to login to navigraph and simbrief in their own tabs before opening the portal

[cavaricooper]

Gary-

Thanks for responding- I did that without success.  I will try on a PC and check- as mentioned this issue occurs on the Mac.

Ta- C

[macroflight]

Gary-

Thanks for responding- I did that without success.  I will try on a PC and check- as mentioned this issue occurs on the Mac.

Ta- C

Try Chrome on the Mac. It works for me for this, but Safari does not.

[cavaricooper]

Thanks- will try.... I have been using Safari... progress.... but....

[GodAtum]

I've tried in both Firefox and Safari. Both get the same error. However Edge and Chrome seem to work.

[cavaricooper]

Got it working on Mac Chrome- ta!

[FlyItLikeYouStoleIt]

Thanks- will try.... I have been using Safari... progress.... but....

In Safari / Settings/ Privacy allow cross-site tracking

[FlyItLikeYouStoleIt]

Gary

Is there any reason why PSX.BACARS should fail when running on a different PC to the PSX client?

I was trying to get it running under Crossover on a Mac. Installed .NET 4.5.1 ok. Launched BACARS and gave it the IP address of the Mac (actually the same machine). It connected, "PSX Connected" turned green, and CDU-C changed from the original PSX screen to a single "ACARS" next to 2L button. Pressing 2L changes "ACARS" to "ACARS (ACT)" but then nothing else happens.

I wondered if this was something to do with the Crossover installation, but exactly the same happens when I try using my original Windows-based BACARS and connecting to the Mac PSX from there.

[FlyItLikeYouStoleIt]

Gary

Is there any reason why PSX.BACARS should fail when running on a different PC to the PSX client?

I was trying to get it running under Crossover on a Mac. Installed .NET 4.5.1 ok. Launched BACARS and gave it the IP address of the Mac (actually the same machine). It connected, "PSX Connected" turned green, and CDU-C changed from the original PSX screen to a single "ACARS" next to 2L button. Pressing 2L changes "ACARS" to "ACARS (ACT)" but then nothing else happens.

I wondered if this was something to do with the Crossover installation, but exactly the same happens when I try using my original Windows-based BACARS and connecting to the Mac PSX from there.

Solved by using Frankenrouter!

EDIT: Not quite solved it seems: WIndows BACARS works to Mac through Frankenrouter but Crossover BACARS only gets as far as INIT DATA REQ but then BACARS fails to fetch anything from Simfest. The grey buttons stay grey and don't even turn orange. (And yes, my email address is entered correctly!). I presume this is a problem with .NET and Crossover.

Performance Request and WX/AIS through Crossover BACARS work fine.

Using Wireshark there is a handshake with database.simfest.co.uk on pressing INIT DATA REQ but only a couple of packets immediately after that.

[Gary Oliver]

Ohhhhh

Is this a TLS/crypto issue in .net? Wasn't there a situation where certain versions of windows needed a registry key? Crossover sounds like something that could be affected.

https://gist.github.com/jetersen/0ac37e3f684947889d53cccb7391a9c5

Rings a bell, but in the fog of a post FSExpo weekend sobering up it might not be

Cheers
G

[FlyItLikeYouStoleIt]

Thanks Gary

Solved not by adding the registry keys but by updating .NET in Crossover to 4.8. Probably something I should have done from the start.

Anyway, it works! BACARS now available on Mac.